Pollutionwatch: Windy weather kept bonfire night clear of smoke

Being outside on Guy Fawkes Night can be like stepping back in time to a period when our cities were filled with fire smoke. This year the week of the 5 November was fairly windy preventing bonfire and firework smoke building up. Even in Lewes, East Sussex, where Guy Fawkes is traditionally celebrated with great zeal, air pollution remained low for the first time since measurements began in 2005. Smoke from Diwali fireworks was also measured across west and east London but again air pollution remained low according to the UK air quality index.

High pressure centred over the UK led to some settled nights in November. Where winds fell, pollution built up locally in many towns and cities. In addition to London, cities affected included Bristol on the 16th and 17th and Greater Manchester (Salford and Wigan) on the 26th. Traffic also caused pollution problems in central Glasgow and in Dumfries. Additionally, pollution can also accumulate as air drifts slowly between cities. Air moving slowly over southern England caused pollution problems in West Sussex and Southampton on the 18th, and air drifting slowly from northern England contributed pollution over London and the south east on the 28th.

Many homes in Northern Ireland are heated by oil and coal, making its towns vulnerable to winter time air pollution. Air pollution reached the top level of the UK air quality index in Derry on 25 November and problems with particle pollution also affected Armagh.